Ceregate Gmbh

Brainlab Ag

Bálint Várkuti

Andreas Blumhofer

Rainer Lachner

Saman Hagh Gooie

Stefan Achatz

Mona Frommert

Ricardo Smits Serena

Rebecca Rittstieg

Saman Hagh-gooie

Brian Blischak

An auditory neural interface device for sound perception by an individual that may be used as a hearing aid. The auditory neural interface device includes a receiver configured to receive sound signals, a processor operably connected to the receiver and configured to encode a received sound signal as a multi-channel neurostimulation signal, and a neurostimulation device operably connected to the processor and configured to apply the multi-channel neurostimulation signal to a neurostimulation electrode of the individual. The neurostimulation signal is configured to directly stimulate afferent sensory neurons of the central nervous system of the individual and thereby to elicit, for each channel of the neurostimulation signal, one or more non-auditory, preferably somatosensory, perceptions in a cortex area of the individual. Each channel of the neurostimulation signal is associated with a different non-auditory perception.

Auditory neural interface device

A computer brain interface (CBI) device of an individual applies a burst sequence of stimulation pulses to afferent sensory nerve fibers to elicit a bioelectric response via a neurostimulation interface operably connected to or integrated with the CBI device. The neurostimulation interface senses the bioelectric responses of the stimulated afferent sensory nerve fibers. The CBI device derives, based on the sensed bioelectric responses, a neural excitability profile characterizing a non-linear, dynamic excitation behavior of the afferent sensory neurons corresponding to the applied sequence of stimulation pulses. At least one stimulation parameter of the current set of stimulation parameters is adjusted based on the derived excitability profile to obtain an updated set of stimulation parameters.

Closed-loop autocalibration method for a computer brain interface device, computer program and computer brain interface device

Systems and methods for stimulating the sensory cortex of an individual by obtaining a neuronal stimulation signal adapted to provide a movement cue for the individual and transmitting the neuronal stimulation signal to an electric contact of a neuronal stimulation electrode that is already implanted into the brain of the individual for a purpose different from providing the movement cue. Proprioceptive information is communicated to the individual by obtaining information about the body posture of the individual and applying a neuronal stimulation signal to an afferent axon targeting a sensory neuron in the cortex of the individual. The neuronal stimulation signal is determined based on the obtained body posture information and corresponds to the proprioceptive information. A first neuronal stimulation signal providing the movement cue and a second neuronal stimulation signal providing the proprioceptive information may be applied together to the cortex of the individual.

Neuronal signal system for behavior modification

A system for providing neuronal stimulation signals configured to elicit sensory percepts in the cortex of an individual, comprising device for obtaining spatial information relating to the actual or planned position of a neuronal stimulation device relative to afferent axon(s) targeting sensory neuron(s) in the cortex of the individual and device for determining a neuronal stimulation signal to be applied to the afferent axon(s) via the neuronal stimulation device based at least in part on the obtained spatial information.

Neuronal communication system

A computer brain interface (CBI) device of an individual is self-calibrated. A neurostimulation test signal is generated based on a selected set of test signal parameters. The neurostimulation signal is applied to the afferent sensory nerve fibers to elicit a bioelectric response via a neurostimulation interface operably connected to or integrated with the CBI device. The neurostimulation interface senses the bioelectric responses of the stimulated afferent sensory nerve fibers. The CBI devices determines, based on the sensed bioelectric responses, whether an excitation behavior of the stimulated afferent sensory nerve fibers with respect to the neurostimulation interface has changed. When the excitation behavior has changed, a set of recalibrated neurostimulation signal parameters is determined based on the sensed bioelectric responses. The CBI device is operated using the recalibrated neurostimulation signal parameters to communicate information to the individual via neurostimulation of the afferent sensory nerve fibers.

On-line autocalibration method for a computer brain interface device and computer brain interface device

Disclosed is a computer-implemented method of determining a consensus plane for imaging an elongate medical device such as an electrode or a catheter. When positioning an analytical device such that its imaging plane is parallel to or coincides with the consensus plane, an optimal image of the elongate medical device can be generated. The consensus plane is determined by analyzing patient image data used for planning an imaging procedure, planned trajectory data defining a planned position of the elongate medical device relative to the position of an anatomical body part, imaging device constraint data describing machine constraints governing operation of the medical imaging device, avoidance region position data defining the position of anatomical regions of the patient's body, and orientation condition data defining a boundary condition for an angle between the orientation of the consensus plane and the orientation of the characteristic geometric quantity of the elongate medical device.

Determining a consensus plane for imaging a medical device

The present invention relates to a system for communicating an operational state of a neuronal stimulation apparatus to an individual, comprising: means for determining the operational state of the apparatus; means for transmitting a first neuronal stimulation signal to a neuronal stimulation means of the individual adapted to elicit a sensory percept in the cortex of the individual, wherein the first neuronal stimulation signal is indicative of the operational state of the apparatus. The present invention further relates to a method and computer program comprising the steps of: determining the operational state of the apparatus, transmitting a neuronal stimulation signal to a neuronal stimulation means of the individual adapted to elicit a sensory percept in the cortex of the individual, wherein the first neuronal stimulation signal is indicative of the determined operational state of the apparatus.

Neuronal signal system, method and computer program for device status signaling

The present invention relates to a system for providing neuronal stimulation signals configured to elicit sensory percepts in the cortex of an individual, comprising means for obtaining spatial information relating to the actual or planned position of at least one neuronal stimulation means relative to at least one afferent axon targeting at least one sensory neuron in the cortex of the individual and means for determining at least one neuronal stimulation signal to be applied to at least one afferent axon via the at least one neuronal stimulation means based at least in part on the obtained spatial information. The present invention further relates to a system for communicating conceptual information to an individual, comprising means for selecting at least one neuronal stimulation signal to be applied to at least one afferent axon targeting at least one sensory neuron in the cortex of the individual, wherein the at least one neuronal stimulation signal corresponds to the conceptual information to be communicated and means for transmitting the at least one neuronal stimulation signa to at least one neuronal stimulation means of the individual.

A medical data processing method of matching a medical image of an anatomical structure of a patient's body with an atlas-based representation of the anatomical structure, the method being constituted to be executed by a computer and comprising the following steps; acquiring patient image data describing a medical image representation of the anatomical structure in the medical image; determining, based on the patient image data, patient substructure data describing a plurality of patient substructure representations each describing a different patient substructure of the anatomical structure; acquiring general substructure data describing a general substructure representation of each of a plurality of general substructures for each of the patient substructures; determining, for each of the patient substructures and based on the patient substructure data and the general substructure data, substructure matching data describing a matching general substructure representation which matches the respective patient substructure representation; determining, based on the general substructure data and the substructure matching data, anatomical structure atlas data describing an atlas representation of the anatomical structure; determining, based on the patient image data and the anatomical structure atlas data, matching transformation data describing an atlas-patient matching transformation between the medical image representation of the anatomical structure and the atlas representation of the anatomical structure.

Growing community of inventors

Munich, Germany

Bálint Várkuti